CASCAR: The Loctite Chevy takes fourth at the Toronto Molson Indy
21 July 1999
TORONTO, ON - During his racing career, Pete Vanderwyst has taken part in only a few road races. But you wouldn't know it from the way he and his Loctite Chevrolet Monte Carlo have performed in their most recent outings. Last summer, Vanderwyst was third in the Edmonton CASCAR Castrol Super Series National event. And on Saturday afternoon, at the Toronto Molson Indy, the St. Thomas, ON driver posted an impressive fourth place finish in CASCAR's first-ever appearance at one of Canada's biggest motorsports events. Vanderwyst was sixth-fastest in the field of 35 competitors who took part in Friday afternoon's qualifying session and started on the outside of Row 3 in Saturday's Miller Lite 100. Other than the half-hour qualifying session, the CASCAR drivers had only a 30 minute practice session on Friday morning to get accustomed to the tricky, temporary street circuit at Toronto's Exhibition Place. Following a clean start to the 34-lap race, Vanderwyst moved up a few positions during the event. At the finish, he was a few seconds behind the lead trio of Robin Buck, Al Turner and Billy Rowse. Vanderwyst led the second pack of cars and held the spot for a fourth-place finish. The result boosted him to a tie for second in the Eastern points chase, after seven rounds. After climbing out of the car, the Loctite Chevrolet racer was thrilled with his outing and the result. "It was an awesome day. It just went great. McColl's built me an awesome road racing car, and the guys on the crew did a great job preparing it. We just took our time. I knew I couldn't run with Billy [Rowse], Al [Turner] and Robin [Buck], so it was just a matter of trying to hold my own. I was hoping that Al and Billy might get into it a little bit and possibly let us get onto the podium, like we did at Edmonton last year." In addition to his own excellent showing, Vanderwyst was beaming for CASCAR and his own sponsors. After the race, the consensus was that it was a good day for all involved. "We're just ecstatic that everything went well for CASCAR. We're especially happy for our sponsor -Loctite - that we were able to put on a great show for the fans. It seems like everyone enjoyed it and I know I had a good time out there wheeling around on a road course again. I'm feeling pretty good." It was a physically demanding race, however, run under sweltering conditions. "After the race, I was hot because it was 155 degrees [Fahrenheit] in the car again today. We tried to get more air into the car, but we have to do more. We lost our brakes a bit near the end of the race and the car got kind of loose on me, so I didn't have anything for the race leaders. But we held our own and made sure we didn't mess up. This road course thing is really to my liking, especially since we're doing so well at it." The exposure afforded by being part of the Toronto Molson Indy was a pleasant surprise for the CASCAR drivers and teams. Vanderwyst was overwhelmed by the reaction to Canada's top stock car series being included on the weekend schedule. "I think it was great. It was a wonderful event to be involved with. The fans have been coming through the garage, grabbing posters and autographs. I think it's going to bode well for the future of CASCAR. It was important to be here at the Molson Indy and put on a good show. There were a lot of people out there watching us for a Saturday afternoon and that made it a real experience." Race Notes: Robin Buck finally broke through to victory lane in a CASCAR Castrol Super Series race by holding off Al Turner and Billy Rowse in the Miller Lite 100 at the Toronto Molson Indy on Saturday afternoon. Buck is a road racing veteran and has two second place finishes - both on road courses - in his CASCAR career, but hadn't tasted victory in a CASCAR until Saturday. Points leader Don Thomson had some oil system trouble during the race and finished 25th, which tightened the points chase somewhat. Following seven events, Thomson still leads, while Pete Vanderwyst and DJ Kennington are tied for second. Looking ahead: This weekend, Pete Vanderwyst and the Loctite Chevy turn their attention back to the ovals for a race at Cayuga Speedway. Qualifying for the 250 lap race will be held on Saturday, with the feature scheduled for Sunday afternoon. It's the last race on the Eastern schedule before the teams head west for the first two National races, in Alberta, in early August. - 30 -
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